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Late diagnosis

Hergé
1 month ago

Hi,

Do you you are one small disaster away from the illusion of normality coming crashing down.

I was diagnosed at the age of 50 after decades of being "a square peg". Initially it was a relief as it explained so much of what I was or wasn't feeling. Now I'm presented with the question of " who the f@#k am I" as my true persona maybe isn't what I show to the world or myself.

I'm married, have kids and dogs, I work full time and feel I'm living in an artificial reality as it seems to be all an act.

Maybe it's because I'm really not sleeping well and the fatigue is catching up.

I was given trazodon to help my sleep but it seemed to increased my anxiety and ruin my already poor sleep pattern.

Now I'm being prescribed a low dose antipsychotic as well as a SSRI to see if this helps.

I find this is mildly terrifying.

Parents
  • 26 days ago

    Hi Hergé

    If you work full time and have kids and dogs, no wonder you are struggling, but I hope you take comfort in the fact that you are not alone.

    I was early 50s when I discovered I was on the spectrum, and had exactly the same question about who I really was.

    It was a period of adjusting, doing a lot of research and learning about and starting to understand myself. Some years later I'm much better adjusted but still learning.

    The first thing is to be kind to yourself and look after yourself. Don't agree to go to any social events you might find difficult. Set some time each day or at least each week to have "you time",  to follow your special interest, learn more about autism, just chill out in nature - whatever absorbs you. You must be careful to avoid burnout.

    Keep reading posts on here and asking questions - it really helped me in the beginning.

Reply
  • 26 days ago

    Hi Hergé

    If you work full time and have kids and dogs, no wonder you are struggling, but I hope you take comfort in the fact that you are not alone.

    I was early 50s when I discovered I was on the spectrum, and had exactly the same question about who I really was.

    It was a period of adjusting, doing a lot of research and learning about and starting to understand myself. Some years later I'm much better adjusted but still learning.

    The first thing is to be kind to yourself and look after yourself. Don't agree to go to any social events you might find difficult. Set some time each day or at least each week to have "you time",  to follow your special interest, learn more about autism, just chill out in nature - whatever absorbs you. You must be careful to avoid burnout.

    Keep reading posts on here and asking questions - it really helped me in the beginning.

Children
  • 26 days ago in reply to Pixiefox

    Thanks, since lockdown any pretence of enjoying social gatherings went out the window.

    I have my own little world and I'm reasonably content in it. I think I hit a period of burnout around 8 years ago, I don't think I ever fully recovered.

    I love nature and wildlife which is handy as I live in a very green and leafy area.

    I think I need to be kind to myself and try to let the scared little boy out of the shadows.